by Naiia Lajoie GLASS HALF FIL As the world slowly emerged after a year of quarantining, into a society where Asian-American regard was shaky at best, it seemed only fitting to Filipino American Voice United (FAVU) President Jerry Perez de Tagle that the time was ripe to showcase and celebrate Fil-Am contributions. And what better date than October 25th to launch the inaugural Larry Itliong Leadership Awards (LILA); as Filipino American Heritage Month comes to an end, and on the day the revolutionary was born over a century ago. While many remember civil rights activist Cesar Chavez for having co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), it was actually years prior that Filipino-American Larry Itliong lead the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC), which Chavez eventually joined birthing the United Farm Workers (UFW) Organizing Committee. Together their efforts ultimately culminated in the Delano Grape Strike, unionizing farm workers and revolutionizing the farm labor movement in the United States. It is in this spirit of unearthing Filipino contribution to the foundations of America that inspired Jerry to hold what will become the annual tradition of the Larry Itliong Leadership Awards. This year’s celebration – while intimate still due to continuing pandemic precautions – was packed with heart. The event took place at Hollywood’s Celebrity Centre, and was chock-full of entertainment as well as education. After the evening’s introductions complete with Philippine national anthem and welcoming statement by emcee Arielle Duave, a biographic video introduced by Eden Stein and historical lesson by Jerry Perez de Tagle provided an appropriate ambiance of humor and pride; reminding all in attendance who Larry Itliong was and inspiring them to not only celebrate their fellow Fil-Am, but live by his example as well. While focusing on Filipino-Americans, remnants of the motherland were...... Read more on Full Issue!